MLB managers weigh in on possible rule changes, particularly banning shifts

Photo by Norm Hall/Getty ImagesMoving fielders around to try to prevent hits is as old as baseball.

You might recall a phrase attributed to 19th Century star “Wee” Willie Keeler: “Hit ‘em where they ain’t.”

Connie Mack, the famed manager of the old Philadelphia Athletics, used to wave a scorecard from the dugout to help place his fielders:

Photo by The Stanley Weston Archive/Getty ImagesThen there was the shift put on Red Sox star Ted Williams, supposedly invented by Indians manager Lou Boudreau (though others had done it previously). You can see in this photo that Williams defeated the shift on this particular play by going the other way:

Getty Images Then there’s this one, from the Polo…